23A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 18:15-20, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
By: Fr. Vincent
Corbelli, MM
1. STORY
A father wanted
to teach his five children the importance of unity and peace in a family. He gave each one a small stick and asked them
to break it which they easily did. He
then tied five sticks together into a small bundle and asked them to break the
bundle. They all tried and failed. He explained to them that when they are united
and live in peace, they will be strong like the bundle of sticks. When they are disunited, quarrel, and not
living in peace, they will be weak like an individual stick. He urged them to live in unity and in peace.
2. GOSPEL,
MATTHEW 18:15-20
A. IF YOUR
BROTHER SINS AGAINST YOU
Jesus is aware
that a problem may occur in the Church. Though
he wants us to live in peace and harmony, he is aware that we are often not
able to do this. We may offend some
Catholic in a serious way or not in a serious way. We may do it willingly or unwillingly.
B. GO AND TELL
HIM HIS FAULT
Jesus gives us
his solution to the problem. He wants us
to do our best to bring unity and harmony. He wants us to do three things to solve the
problem.
i) Discuss it
with the person involved.
ii) If this
fails, ask a few others to work along with you.
iii) If this is
not successful, then go to someone in the church, such as a priest, sister or
even the bishop.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A. JESUS WANTS US
TO LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY Each time we participate in the Mass, there are
two prayers that remind us of this. In
the prayer of the sign of peace, the priest prays, “Lord Jesus Christ, you said
to your apostles, I leave you peace, my peace I give to you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your
Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom.” The second prayer said at each Mass is “May
all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in
unity by the Holy Spirit.” These prayers
remind us of the importance of peace and unity.
B. THREE
SUGGESTIONS TO HELP ACHIEVE THIS UNITY There are many ways to do this. Here are three suggestions:
i) Prayer. We must pray for the person or persons
involved as Jesus reminds us of the power of prayer. “If two of you agree on earth about anything
for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly
Father.”
ii) Ask for
forgiveness. If you have offended
someone, forgive those who have offended you.
iii) Be careful
in what we say. Praise more and
criticize less.
4. CONCLUSION
The father taught
his children the importance of living in harmony. This unity brings strength to the family. Jesus wants us, as members of his family, the
Catholic Church, to live in unity. He
taught us how to achieve this goal. We
must work together to bring peace and harmony to our family, our parish, and to
the world. Three ways to do this are to
pray, forgive others, and be prudent in our speech.
